Fiola Shaku
Fiola Jean Shaku is a twenty-two year-old musician and singer from Chandrila. Although recently-well-known on the 'edgy' pop circuit, a pirate attack on a starliner on which she was a passenger thrust her into a life of adventure, now culminating with Fi and her newfound friends engaging with the Rebel Alliance to either pacify or destroy her former love, the young Imperial commander Tam Dawncaller. Biography Early History Prior to 0 BBY, Fiola was lead vocalist and mandoviol player for Moonbeam Levels, a musical group of some renown in the Core worlds. However, after a deal gone sour between the group's manager and silent financier Graza the Hutt, Moonbeam Levels was on indefinite hiatus, and Fiola was left simply blowing from port to port, singing and playing her mandoviol to small crowds and trying to figure out what to do next. Off the Charts Escape from the Star Queen Aboard the luxury liner Star Queen, fate dealt Fi an unexpected hand when the vessel was attacked and destroyed by Tarvos Ghull's pirate band. Narrowly escaping in a pod, Fi became acquainted with Koro Bolera, and she, Koro, and the pod's other passengers were soon rescued by Damon Aligeri and Mir'isha, aboard the Ravenstar. They soon encountered the Destiny's Light, and Fiola joined Kenlan As-Buka and Tam Dawncaller aboard that vessel, Mimbos bound. There, she became extremely close with Tam Dawncaller, and despite herself, Fi truly cared about someone other than herself for the first time. This affection has continued, and Fi considers Tam to be the one being in the universe that she loves unconditionally. It was on this same planet that Fi met Luis Santiago and Tey Spires. However, her, Tam, and Kenlan's hasty departure from Mimbos prevented her from getting to know the pair any better at that time, though they were all reunited a short time later on Burista. Darkness Converges There, Fi succumbed to the effects of the Darkseed toxin, and murdered five officers aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer Widower. Horrified by her actions, Fi wants only to atone for what she's done, and to try to make the galaxy a better place in the name of those whose lives she has taken. When Fi and her friends were approached in space by the mysterious Ququor, Fi began to feel overwhelmed by all the high adventure (and the constant fearing for one's life that accompanied it), and vowed to leave the ship at the next port. It was an easy decision, compared to that of leaving Tam; the young Jedi was clearly falling in love with her, and, despite his youth, Fi couldn't be sure she didn't feel the same. Not wanting to complicate his life any further, Fi left Tam with a song she'd written for him and, when the Koralak touched down on Tatooine, she ventured into Mos Eisley alone. Like a Rolling Stone There, she was rescued from a bit of drunken foolishness by Luis and Tey, and the trio barely had time to catch their breath before being nearly hit by a crashing X-wing starfighter belonging to Zealos Reil. The three of them (later joined by Reil himself) found refuge in the home of Cali, a slave girl. Momentarily safe, Fi found herself again flirting shamelessly with Luis, who seemed to be enjoying the attention. Guilt nagged at Fi, however; though she was attracted to the doctor, Fi was afraid she might be 'rebounding' from Tam, and elected not to take it any further, lest she hurt Luis's feelings. She needn't have worried. After they liberated Cali from the clutches of Bartok the slaver, Luis became aware of a much greater danger pursuing them, and sacrificed himself to keep the unknown evil off their trail. He left behind only a datapad for Fi (and one for Tey) explaining his unspoken love for Fi, and his desire to keep her and her companions safe from harm. Reunited with Koro Bolera and Tonto the droid aboard the Long Shot, Fi, Tey, Zealos, Cali and the mysterious Tarynn Gray lifted off of Tatooine and landed on Ryloth, where Fi and Cali narrowly escaped being sold to slavers, and led everyone to the villains' hideout. Unexpectedly, Fi was reunited with Tam there as well, and after another frightening use of Tam's extra-dimensional power, the group escaped the Ryloth system aboard the slave transport Emigrant, in consort with the crew of the Nova Viper. The two vessels then touched down on Gamorr, where they set about investigating an ancient Sith academy. There, Fi and Tam were separated from the others, and found themselves in a chamber that seemed to be telepathically catering to their deepest wishes, and darkest desires. They resisted its influence and, due to the noble sacrifice of the Jedi Athelias, were able to rejoin the others and escape Gamorr. Inex Jonn and The Luminous Three Their next stop was Rothana, where Tey Spires wanted to leave the group and pursue an old foe. It was here that Fi, racked with guilt about what effect she may be having on Tam's development, ran away from him and the others, leaving the boy a note reading only two words: "I'm sorry". She made it to the city of Jynton, where she was recognized and approached by a Sakiyan named Inex Jonn and his trio of identical dancers, The Luminous Three. Agreeing to accompany the touring dancers as a backing musician, Fi joined the group aboard their vessel, the Skalen II. After an exchange with one of Rothana's orbiting customs vessels and some trouble aboard Mull Station, the group travelled to Ashlud City, Kamino, where Fi learned the sad truth about The Luminous Three. A harrowing adventure ensued, resulting in Fi taking possession of the Skalen II (which she then renamed the Dawncaller in honor of Tam Dawncaller, her lost love) and Inex Jonn sentenced to death by Seema Mull. Fiola then delivered her new friends Vonn Ellu, Amra, and Celeste to Vonn's home planet of Kwenn, before returning to Mull Station to work for the crimelord Obar Mull. Solo Gig One Slip When Tarvos Ghull came to Mull station in pursuit of Mir'isha and her Jedi companions, Fi's concern for her friends was sensed in the Force by Verik Aligeri, who was traveling with the pirate lord. Though Fi did her best to shield her thoughts from the young Force-user, Verik was able to telepathically extract the words "nova viper". Mull Station Mayhem No one was more surprised than Fi when, some days later, none other than Inex Jonn appeared on Mull Station's portside bridge, alive and mostly-well. The Sakiyan had with him Mir'isha as his prisoner, and brought news of the imminent arrival of her Jedi friends, in pursuit. Hoping to get back into Obar Mull's good graces (and escape a second execution order from the crimelord's wife, Seema), Inex urged Obar to collect the bounty on not only Mir'isha, but her Jedi friends as well. The negotiations were interrupted by newcomer Jason Greysands, who brought frightening tales of Mull Station's mysterious past and, in the confusion, captured Inex and Mir'isha for his own purposes. Fi pursued the group, finding only Inex Jonn, shot. The Sakiyan had time only to beg Fi's forgiveness before dying of his injuries. Rescue Mission True to Inex's word, one of the Jedi did appear: Damon Aligeri. Damon informed Fi that Mir'isha had been taken from Greysands by Tarvos Ghull's cronies and was on her way to the pirate's flagship, the Twilight's Edge. Using her influence with Obar Mull, Fi was able to outfit herself and Damon with weapons and the pair, accompanied by her droid Beat, made for Ghull's fleet in the Dawncaller. There, Fi was able to help Damon rescue Mir, defeat the pirate lord, and make peace with his younger brother Verik. With news from Damon that Tam, Fi's lost young love, had also come to Mull Station aboard a ship called the Drifter, Fi bid the pair a fond farewell and took Beat and the Dawncaller back toward Mull Station. A Trail Runs Cold Above the Station, Fiola was warned by station controllers that the Imperial Star Destroyer Interrogator was in the area, and learned that the Drifter was last seen in its clutches. Hoping for the best, Fi travelled to the coordinates and allowed the Interrogator to bring her aboard. In short order she was brought before High Inquisitor Tremayne, who informed Fi that Tam's love for her had been sending out ripples in The Force, which had enabled the Inquisitor to track and capture the boy. He then had her imprisoned, to contemplate how Tam's capture had been entirely her fault. When he returned to free her, almost as an afterthought, Tremayne brought Fi to a morgue aboard the ship, where he presented Tam's body to the horrified girl. This was actually Waneta West, a shape-changing impostor. Explaining that Tam had died in questioning, Tremayne ordered Fi returned to her ship. Beat, meanwhile, had previously encountered Waneta, but mistakenly believed that it was Fi herself who was a shape-changer. He tried to reunite with Fi at the Dawncaller to discuss the matter, but was tragically ionized by Imperial pursuers. The Dawncaller was forcibly expelled from the Interrogator by tractor beam, the Star Destroyer leaving The Whirl nebula shortly thereafter. Shattered by grief, Fiola Shaku allowed the Dawncaller to drift in the Whirl, its life support powering down, nearly killing the girl. A last-minute rescue by Obar Mull's forces 'saved' Fi from that fate, and she was brought back to Obar's side of Mull Station to recuperate. Finding herself unable to play the mandoviol anymore due to badly frozen extremities, Fiola sank into a whirlpool of depression, turning to drink and alienating what few friends she still had - to say nothing of her host, Obar Mull, who exiled Fi from his side of the station until the girl could find her way again. After a halfhearted near-suicide attempt aboard the Dawncaller, Fi decided that the only way she could end her own life would be to remove her conscious mind from the equation and, as a result, made for the Burista system. There, she resigned herself to the Darkseed effect, but was interrupt by a meeting with Mr. Mace, her love Tam's pet when she'd first known him. Seeing the emaciated state the Fabool was in, Fi decided to take him from the planet and turn her attention toward reviving the animal's health. Were it not for that serendipitous meeting, there is no doubt that Fiola would have died alone on Burista. City in the Clouds Bolstered by a need to return Mr. Mace to health, Fiola pushed her grief aside and made her way to Cloud City, Bespin, the site of Moonbeam Levels' dissolution a seeming lifetime ago (though only about six months had actually passed). Determined to escape her grief and rebuild her life, Fi soon became embroiled in a romance with young entrepreneur Nox Wexler, who co-signed for a luxury apartment for the girl and pulled strings to get her an audition at The Blue Room, an upscale supper-club at the resort. Even despite the injuries that prevented her from playing the mandoviol, Fiola passed the audition with flying colours based on her voice alone, and was booked for six shows a week in the popular nightspot. It was at The Blue Room that Fi met emerging holostar Jyllis Tromso, and the pair formed a fast friendship - the first that Fi had truly shared with another girl since her school days. However, Ms. Tromso's status as target for several kidnapping attempts by agents of Rammo the Toydarian ensured that Fi was once again called to action. When a kidnapping attempt perpetrated by Kroff and Lt. Belmore Trask resulted in one of Jyllis's film crew (and Trask himself) dead, Fi and Jyll escaped from Kroff once again and were unexpectedly reunited with Fi's old friends Zealos Reil and Cali Bellum, who brought with them shocking news: Tam Dawncaller was still alive, had joined the Empire, and had turned to the dark side of the Force. Fi wanted to do whatever she could to help Tam, or at the very least stop him, and all agreed that the best course of action would be to appeal to Reil's contacts in the Rebel Alliance. They were delayed, however, when the Dawncaller was captured by Rammo's flagship, the Reclamator I. It was aboard this vessel that the Toydarian trash tycoon attempted to marry Jylllis Tromso, but his attempts were thwarted by the combined efforts of Jyll, Fi, Reil, Cali, and, surprisingly, Sloat - the vessel's own pilot. The quintet (along with Mr. Mace) escaped to Ord Mantell (Fi, Jyll, Sloat, and Mr. Mace aboard the Dawncaller, Zealos Reil and Cali aboard their transport, the'' Whydah), to search for Reil's contacts in the Rebellion. Along the way, Fiola Shaku and Jyllis Tromso became romantically linked. An Unexpected Reunion On Ord Mantell, in the city of Worlport, Fiola and Jyllis went sightseeing and came across, completely by surprise, Kenlan As-Buka, disguised as 'Max Jaxa', purveyor of galactic oddities. Kenlan advised Fi to stay away from Tam, insinuating that any attempt at contact would result in her death. Fi reported her findings to Reil, who didn't disagree, and, after a strange interchange with the mysterious Dvakon, the group elected to continue their search for the Rebellion. Their search led them to the bar Olann's, where a handful of Renegade Squadron rebels found ''them, while on the run from the fearsome droid bounty hunter IG-88. After their escape from the fray, feeling a strange pull from orbit, and angered by the insinuation that Fi should leave the Dawncaller (and Mr. Mace) behind, Fi (with Jyll in tow) split off from the group and, aided by Sloat and the crew of the Katanga, escaped from the planet in the Dawncaller. In orbit, they encountered Tam's Morning Star Squad, and it was only due to some fancy flying by Fi and the Whydah, some crack shooting by Jyll, and quick-thinking by Kenlan As-Buka that the group was able to escape the system, headed to Dantooine - Tam Dawncaller's homeworld. En route, Fi was gifted with a new mandoviol by her lover Jyll (which the actress had secretly bought in Worlport), that Fi was shocked to learn that she was once more actually able to play. With newfound hope for the future, she (and the others) continued on to Dantooine, with Fi only wanting to see Tam brought to peace... whatever that 'peace' might mean. Personality and traits A twenty-two year-old human, Fiola Shaku is short, cute, lively and sarcastic. In contrast to her small frame, she has a very big personality, and is typically either loved or hated by everyone she meets (usually the former). She has the ability to strike up a conversation with just about anyone, and a knack for being able to cut right to the heart of a matter. Fiola's friendly manner is tainted by a selfish streak, however, and apart from the pals she's made in her recent adventures, she has no lasting friendships. Still, those who have spent time with Fi always remember her as the central figure in one of the best parties they ever attended. Currently, Fiola carries a Relby k-23 blaster pistol that she acquired during an altercation with Trask, a corrupt member of Cloud City's Wing Guard. Shaku, Fiola Shaku, Fiola Shaku, Fiola